Winter is coming: Sheriff's office warns residents to avoid travel, take precautions

Despite the mixture of sleet, snow, ice, strong winds and sub-zero temperatures, Grundy County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Tim Wolthoff says the department hasn’t really seen a spike in accidents over the last week, mainly due to drivers taking precautions while on the road.
 
“It seems like when people know this stuff is coming, they take notice, slow down and drive cautiously, so we haven’t really had too many accidents because of weather,” Wolthoff said. “It’s when we get those unexpected bursts of snow or bad weather that all of a sudden, people go sliding into the ditch because they’re going too fast or not being as careful.”
 
But with more bad weather - mainly dangerously low temperatures - heading towards the area during the middle part of this week, law enforcement and safety officials are reminding citizens to take safety precautions this week.
 
Currently, there is a wind chill warning in effect for the coverage area, which is set to last through Thursday. 
With the wind chill, the real feel temperature is expected to dip as low as 60 below zero - meaning frostbite on exposed skin could occur in as little as five minutes and could be life threatening. 
 
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